Chrysanthemum (Kiku) Designs on Japanese Temari
The chrysanthemum is a much loved flower in Japan. Because of the long lasting petals, it has a special symbolic meaning of endurance, integrity, and longevity. The family crest of the Japanese Imperial family is a sixteen-petal kiku.
There are many ways to stitch the mum on a temari, the most notable being a layered design that uses kiku herringbone stitching (uwagake chidori kagari). Stitched on a simple 16-division, this is the classic kiku.
You can also stitch a mum using spindles, squares, net stitching or any other arrangement of stitches.
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